Forever Until This Day
by Veema
Summary: One Shot! Rin said that she wanted to be with Sesshoumaru forever, but forever is a very long time...


This is my first Inuyasha One Shot and it's about my two favorite characters, Sesshoumaru and Rin! I hope you enjoy it! Make sure you review!

I do not own Inuyasha!

**Forever Until This Day**

"Forever?" I questioned myself. I just gazed at the young girl, Rin, who was picking those accursed flowers. Jaken, the fool, and the girl had gotten into one of their little squabbles. He really was never fond of her, even though she had tried so hard to actually gain his favor, which I always saw as pointless. Still she tried, but it ended with him yelling at her, which annoyed me to no bounds. She then made him fall, and she had won their battle, which amused me, I must admit. The girl could be entertaining sometimes. Annoying Jaken was indeed pleasurable.

After they were done with their squabble, Jaken had asked the girl how long she intended on staying with me, and she answered "Forever, Master Jaken" as if it were a foolish question. To her it even seemed possible. She dared to believe that she could actually live forever, such as I would. To actually think that a mortal could actually live forever was impossible, illogical, and just a childish illusion. She always was an interesting and a bit foolish child, but at least interesting.

She was careless, continuously always careless. While I pondered on why this child would actually begin to think she could actually live that long, she pranced around with flowers clasped tightly in her hands. I was sitting under the shade of a tree, not that I needed the shade, since I do not feel hot or cold. I was simply resting my back while she was supposed to search for food, but human children were unusually energetic and she ended up playing, something I never did as a child. Her strange song and dance with her flowers ended once she ran to me and dropped the flowers by my side, as if I wanted them.

"Lord Sesshoumaru" she sat beside me, which always slightly bothered me, since she was the first mortal that I had ever allowed to actually get that close to me. At first I allowed her to do so because I was curious to why she wasn't afraid to get that close, but then all of my curiosity eventually faded away and I had just grown accustomed to letting her do so, but still, the human stench was always foul to me.

"What is it Rin?"

I realized that her content expression died down and there was wretchedness that filled her eyes. Humans such as Rin were indeed always a curiosity. Her emotions could change so hastily. I had seen her cry before, and I could tell that she was exceptionally close to tears. I remember it well, regrettably. She was afraid, even though there was no danger around that I could sense. "If I should ever die, will you promise not to ever forget about me?"

She wanted an answer, but for a moment, I had none to give. Why she'd ask such a thing was a mystery to me. Why would I, Sesshoumaru, forever keep a mortal in my mind? She actually expected that if she couldn't physically be with me forever, she would stay in my thoughts forever. "Such a foolish question" I told her.

I believe the answer was somewhat injudicious in her mind. She played it in her mind as if it were a foolish question because I of course wouldn't forget about her, ever, when I truly thought it was simply just a foolish question. Why would someone think such a thing, and why especially would a human think that I of all demons would remember her? It was a foolish question, and I perhaps should have made the answer more clear, but I suppose that it is best that I did not rephrase the answer, since I wasn't in the mood for her human tears.

Pleased with the answer she received, she was then ready to look for food. I commanded Jaken to go with her and in fear; he decided not to complain and went with the girl. It seemed like she was always hungry. She ate so much and was yet so small. Humans were indeed a mystery. She must have used all of the energy gained from her previous food once she started running about.

She didn't stay small forever though. In a short amount of time, she began to grow. It seemed so slow to her, being a human and not truly having a real concept of time. It was also slow to Jaken, who couldn't wait to get rid of her. Soon her bony legs and arms grew longer and her body began to mature, in the way that it did with all females, human or demon. She became even more curious than what she was as a child and her mouth never ceased.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" I recall one day in particular after a demon had attacked her, I quickly disposed of it, once it drew near to kill her. She hadn't the time to be injured or even scared by the demon, with my superior speed, but sometime later when Jaken was gathering food for her to eat, she came to me desperate, and frightened. Humans were truly pathetic. She was bleeding and feared for her life, merely because she was bleeding. It wasn't even enough to worry over. "Lord Sesshoumaru, I am sick and perhaps dying."

"Dying?" There were times when she proved to be entertaining and times when she proved to be a pest. That day, she was a bother to me. "It is only a little blood Rin" I could of course smell the scent of it in the air. If it was a lot, then I would have done something about it.

"But Lord Sesshoumaru, it's coming from my…" her cheeks filled with color, one thing mine never could, or at least would do. "It's coming from my…special area." By the way she looked at me, it was easy enough to figure out that she was embarrassed and meant her female part of the body. I was of course not accustomed to human anatomy, but I at least knew what was going on. It was indeed an unusual process, but a very natural one. She worried over nothing.

"It's nothing" I assured her, and I wasn't planning on saying anything more after that.

Yet she pressed on. "Is this normal?"

"Yes Rin."

"Oh." I always found it strange how my words could bring her such comfort. My word was of course worth more than any mortal or any other demon, but she always believed my word, over all, even when she didn't truly know me. My word comforted her, but she was also curious still.

So still, she pressed on. "Why is that so, my Lord? Does it happen to everyone?"

"No, only to females."

"Why?"

I found it an unnerving conversation. That was always a disadvantage to having the girl around. She wasn't properly educated like she should have been. She could have learned more if she was in a human village. She had common knowledge, but everything else was something I was not going to give her. Then again, being in a human village might not have helped her. She hadn't even spoken a word until she had started traveling with me.

"Rin, it is apparently, from what I know something that you must go through in order to grow up, so you can one day have children."

"Children?" I believe that at this time, she was 13 human years. I can still remember how she nervously bit her lip and asked "My Lord, where do babies come from?"

I glanced over to Jaken, who was just beginning to come back from gathering her food. Although most of Rin's learning experiences proved to be interesting, this one disturbed me and filled me with repulsion. I would have simply told Jaken to tell her, but given Jaken's appearance, he wouldn't give her the proper explanation.

"You Rin, women have children." I said it sternly, so she would know not to ask anymore questions, so she didn't, although I could tell she was uncertain. She wanted to know, but she didn't ask anymore questions that day. At least she always listened and never questioned me once I made my point. She was completely obedient and loyal to me. She did what I said, no questions asked. I would never explain myself to her or Jaken and she remembered that more often than Jaken. That is why Jaken always felt my wrath rather than the girl.

I am not confessing that the thought of provoking my wrath on her never crossed my mind. There were times when I first saw her that I thought I should kill her, but once I saw she was nothing but mortal girl, the thought to hurt her never crossed my mind again, even though she ultimately caused me so much trouble. She was always getting kidnapped, needed food everyday, and she needed to stop and rest so much more than I did, but still, I made the adjustments for her, which I didn't understand why. I still don't quite understand, to be completely honest.

Though she was a bother, I kept her by my side. I didn't make her. She simply chose to do so. As she grew older, around the age of 19, she would frequently stop in human villages. There were times when a journey for food would easily lead to her spending time with mortal men, for she had soon become a young woman, instead of just a simple young girl. She would always return, somewhat disappointed. She wasn't disappointed that she returned, but merely for that fact that she hadn't found a reason worth staying in the villages. She was quickly beginning to feel the need for companionship with another disgusting human, but despite her emotions, she never stayed with any human village. She always returned to me.

Within a very short time, she gave up looking for a human companion and kept her focus on simply traveling with me. It seemed that she had given up completely on finding a mortal suitable to be hers. I was grateful, since the thought of human emotions disgusted me to no bounds. Her gestures and movements however began to change. At night she often would sleep on Ah-Un or to the side of me, but she had completely abandoned Ah-Un and focused her comfort on me. I thought nothing of it. If she didn't have proper warmth, her weak and fragile human body would not last. She would lay on me as she slept, but in time, I realized that she would ask where I was going whenever I decided to leave, as if she was afraid I would abandon her. She would glance at me more often, as if there was always something new about me, and when I would glance back at her with question, her cheeks would burn. She would even sing much more often then she ever did. Soon, it all began to become clear to me.

One night while she was I believe the age of 24, she leaned on me; she was not able to sleep and was battling to tell me something. She would bite her lip and play with her thumbs. I warned her that she wouldn't fall asleep while she moved around so much, and she smiled again, just like when I first met her. "I love you" she whispered to me. It was so low, Jaken couldn't hear it. He was able to fall asleep just fine. For that I was thankful. His reaction would be too much for my taste.

"I love you, Lord Sesshoumaru" she dared to repeat it? I had heard her the first time, and the thought was outlandish, unnatural, nerve wrecking. She had spoken those words before when she was very young, still a child, but this time was different. The first time was innocent, harmless, still unnerving, but still harmless. It was very affectionate, but it wasn't the way I saw Inuyasha display affection to his mortal. It was different. It was the way a child would embrace their father.

When she told me that as a child, I was astonished and a bit baffled, but she fell asleep at my side immediately after she had spoken it, as if it were completely natural. I had a difficult time brushing her words off to the side, but I did. I thought it was foolish to say such a thing and let her sleep, and I watched her through the night.

This time it was very much so different than the last time. She didn't brush it off, and she began shaking with regret from telling me her true feelings. She was afraid to look at me, but also afraid to lean on me, so she sat up and waited for me to say something.

That girl actually waited for me to say something to her. What was she expecting me to possibly say to a mere mortal? Was she expecting that I too could feel that way for her? She was a mortal, and she knew that I despised mortals. She had been lucky that I had taken her in like I did, but I would never allow myself to actually love her. I couldn't love a mortal. The mere thought disgusted me.

I didn't respond back to her, and the glimmer of hope in her mortal eyes faded away. She turned away from me so she could hide those pathetic human tears, and she dried her eyes. She could say nothing either. Once her face was clear, she leaned on me once more, as if she had never said anything at all. "Goodnight" was her next word. "Goodnight, Lord Sesshoumaru."

In time, she began to grow older and appeared to keep a better hold of her emotions in. She still sang, and looked at me, but she seemed pleased that she had already spoken those words to me. She was different, far more mature.

It was when she reached the age of 34 that she had fallen ill. She had caught a human sickness and giving the girl a cure was not something I could do. By the time she reached that age, we weren't doing as nearly as much traveling as before. Naraku had been dead for many years since this time and I had begun to conquer land, so traveling was required, but once I realized that Rin was sick, I gave her shelter in some of the conquered lands.

Staying out of the way of the wilderness wasn't enough though. Jaken searched for some herbs for her on my command, but he failed to find anything suitable for her. It was clear to me that the girl was dying. Mortals were destined to die sometime. The average for a human in feudal times was the age of fifty. Women could hope to live a bit longer than that. It seemed such an utter waste now. She had promised to be with me forever and yet she didn't even live to the full potential of her human life.

Humans age so fast, that I knew it was to happen soon. She had reached the prime of her life and I yet had to reach mine, even though I had been alive for hundreds of years and she hadn't even seen half a century. Humans were so pathetic. What was the point of their lives if it was only going to fade away this quickly? What's the point of living, if you do not have the chance to fully live?

I watched her grow pale and weak, and I decided that she had more worth than the rest of those pathetic mortals that live to their full life expectancy. Why shouldn't she have the same chance also? I would use the Tenseiga to bring the girl back to life as soon as it ended. For some reason, even though I had battled the thought and told myself it was not my concern, I could not bring myself to just simply let her die. Just to die seemed simple enough, but then why was letting it happen so complicated?

I came to her, one of her last days of life and saw that she was standing outside on a balcony in a castle, looking over the hills. She was weak, but she never complained about it. She was different than most humans. She was not afraid.

I knew her time was ending, so I came by her side and gazed at the land. There was still so much more to conquer. There was still so much more work to be done.

"Lord Sesshoumaru" she called my name. I realized that sometimes she just simply liked to say it, because she found comfort and reassurance within my name itself. I never understood why, but she did. "I…I wish that you are able to complete your dream, such as I have completed my own."

She never ceased to amaze me. She could somehow always manage to spark my curiosity. "Your dream Rin, and what would that be?"

She smiled and those human tears once again formed within her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "I…I was able to find happiness." Happiness? She was dying and she had found happiness? She had managed to find happiness, even though her life had been so short lived? I suspected that she had figured out that I was going to use the Tenseiga and bring her back, but if that was the case, she wouldn't be talking as if she was dying. "Lord Sesshoumaru, I was an orphan, an orphan without any hope. When my parents and brother's died, I was all alone. Even though I played, I was still very much unhappy, and the villagers who thought they were being kind to me, always beat me. I was very alone and unhappy before I met you, and when I did, I found my smile again."

"What did I give you in order for you to find your happiness, Rin?"

She laughed, thinking it was a foolish question. It amazed me. Should I have known all along? "You were nice to me, you were concerned for me."

"I was curious."

"You were concerned." It was the first time she had ever argued back with me. If she was Jaken, she would be severely punished, but I did nothing to the girl. Her condition was already pathetic. I wasn't going to hurt her. "You protected me" she told me. "You kept me going through the worst of times, and I soon knew that no matter what, you'd always be there to protect me, and I…" she tried to wipe her tears away, but continued to cry. I didn't understand it. She didn't need to cry. There was no reason to be miserable if I was going to resurrect her, and if she was sad, then she shouldn't have been smiling. "I had someone to love, even though you didn't love me back, at least not the way I wanted you to. I would visit villages trying to find some human boy to love, but I didn't belong there, I belonged with you. And even though you do not wish to be with me, I discovered that it was enough just simply being with you, by your side."

For the first time in my whole entire existence, I felt the horrible emotion of guilt. I didn't see why. The way she said "I love you" was not the way I felt. I could never feel that way. Should I have said something that day? There was nothing for me to say.

Even so, she didn't seem to need me to say anything. She believed she already knew. "You gave me something to live for. There's life, and there's living. You gave me the greatest gift Lord Sesshoumaru, you gave me a life worth living, and it's good enough for me." Her tears ceased, but her smile remained, that same smile she gave to me the day I asked about her cuts and bruises. She forever smiled that way, as if we were meeting for the first time. Even though she was much older and looked very different from when I first met her, she never lost that innocence.

Never.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I hope you can complete your goal and build a glorious empire one day. I believe in you, and I wish I could see it." When she spoke those words, I knew that she didn't expect that I was going to revive her with the Tenseiga, but I was proved wrong. "Please do not resurrect me with your sword, my Lord."

Disappointment? That is actually the word to use in order to describe what I felt once she said that to me. "Why Rin? Why do you wish to die?"

"I do not wish to die, my Lord, but all mortals have to pass away, that is what makes us mortal. If I were immortal, I could be with you forever, like I always wanted to, but I'm not eight years old anymore and I know that I will die. I know that I am going to die, and that I will not even live to see my next birthday." Somehow, she shrugged it off, as if it didn't matter. "I don't care though, because I know that I lived my life to the fullest, and I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend it with than you. There's no point in healing me and watching me die one day, a tired old woman. It's too odd. I possessed the love that a daughter has for a father when I was young, and when I got older…it was the love that Inuyasha shared for Kagome. Please do not let me look to you as a grandson, because I'll be so old. It's too odd and it'll be heartbreaking, Lord Sesshoumaru, so let me die with this love."

Love? I knew it. I knew that she felt that way. The thought of it then though, wasn't that disgusting. I of course did not love her in that sort of manner, but how I felt was different, in a way I cannot explain. Then again, I never could really explain anything concerning the girl from the starting point of when I first used the Tenseiga to save her life, until the point where I was disappointed about her not wanting me to save it again.

"I shall do as you wish, Rin. You shall die."

"Can you do me one more request, my Lord?" Without even considering it, I told her yes, and as soon as the word exited my mouth, I felt her soft lips, touch the side of my cheek, where she was standing. "Please do not be angry with me."

Angry? Angry? I should have been angry that she, a mortal, touched my cheek with her lips in a very affectionate manner, but for some reason, I wasn't angry. I can't recall a time when she had ever made me angry. There might have been moments of frustration, but she never angered me once.

"Thank you for everything, Lord Sesshoumaru."

I knew that she was fading away, perhaps that night she would be gone, and I would never see her again. "Rin-"

"One last wish, my Lord?"

Again she amused me, and I knew she was in high spirits once she saw the slight smile appear on my face. "Rin, what is your third last wish?"

"Will you take me out into the forest where we met and let me lean on you like I used to? I was always the most peaceful when I was with you."

It was a strange last wish, but understandable, so I agreed. I took her out into the forest, the very place where I had first met the strange child who was brave enough to leave water for me to drink, the same generous girl who left food for me to eat, she same persistent child who had brought food to me again, even though I told her to leave me be, and the same child who ran to me, thinking that I was her shelter, her protector, and even her friend. This same child who had now blossomed into a mature woman, and who was now fading away into the afterlife, a place I would not follow for many years. Even if I did follow, I would not follow in the same direction as she. She would go to Heaven and I would not. She would be gone, dead, forever out of my reach, forever out of my sight.

"I love you, Lord Sesshoumaru." I still managed to say not a word to her, but I did not apparently need to. She was still smiling as she made herself comfortable on my fur. "Goodnight Lord Sesshoumaru." She was weak, so helpless, but she sounded ready and unafraid. She was embracing her death, knowing it was the right time, even though it didn't need to be. She didn't need to live forever, and it was actually an admirable quality, that I had never seen in anyone else. That is how Rin gained the title as the only human I didn't see as worthless, the only mortal who I had somehow, unintentionally, learned to care for.

"Goodnight, Rin." So she slept with comfort until my sensitive ears could not pick up the sound of her heart beating any longer. She said she could be with me forever, and she never left my side, until that day.

Rin was dead.

100 years have passed since the day she died. I surely thought that I would have let it go or forgotten about her, but she still comes to mind. It's never intentionally, but whenever I pass a flower, I think of how she used to pick them and would actually think that I would want them. Every time I pass by a human village and hear the faint whispers of a child's song, I think of her and the ridiculous lyrics she could come up with. Every time I see my half breed brother, I think about the abomination she actually might have wanted to have with _me_. She often lingered through my thoughts, even though I was so sure that I would not think of her. I thought I'd let her go, and yet here I am in this spot, the same spot I buried her in, looking at her grave.

She asked me long ago to promise her that if she died, I would not forget about her. I said it was a foolish question, but it appears, and I am very ashamed to say so, but I was to fool, not she. She knew that I would not forget, even though I have tried. She told me that she would stay with me forever, and I knew it was an impossible task. She stayed with me as long as she could. She stayed forever, until _that _day, the day she died. That's what I thought, but now thinking about her and her words, her promises, she did stay with me after, living in my thoughts.

She still lives.

Even though I, Lord Sesshoumaru never believed that I would ever grow fond of a mortal, I unfortunately find myself in the same position my father was in, and even my half breed brother, Inuyasha, no matter how much I have tried to deny it. I have been denying it for over 100 years, and now it would only be foolish to lie to myself any longer since I have reluctantly returned to this spot where I buried her, just like how I turned around just to save her life, the life of a mere mortal.

She still lives on, somehow. Jaken doesn't mention her at all. He never was too fond of her. He did at first, as if something was missing, but 100 years was apparently long enough to get over her. He after all only did protect her because I wanted him to. I wish I had the power to overcome that silly little smile she gave me, for only asking a question because I was curious…or rather concerned.

Not even I could perceive that she could actually be with me forever.

"Forever Rin? It certainly is a long time."

THE END!

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